Angry villagers set Haripur police van on fire

HARIPUR: A police van was set on fire by angry villagers after the policemen allegedly disrupted the marriage ceremony of a girl in Khoi Maira village here on Saturday.

A policeman also sustained injuries in the melee.

When contacted, the Khanpur police said that cases under section 107/151 were registered against two rivals Zeeshan and Bilal in connection with a minor dispute.

The police arrested Zeeshan while cops from Pind Muneem were sent to Piple Mera to apprehend Bilal.

According to the police when the cops reached the residence of Shafi, the maternal uncle of Bilal, the marriage ceremony of his daughter was taking place.

“When the policemen asked Shafi about the whereabouts of Bilal, he expressed ignorance, which led to an exchange of harsh words between them. Around 19 villagers beat the two cops,” a police official added.

The cops, according to police, called the in-charge of the police post Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Nawaz Khan, who reached the spot along with a contingent of police. The cops opened fire into the air. The angry villagers including women, also thrashed the cops and torched a police van, they added.

The police registered a case against six persons including Shafi, his brothers Sajid and Mehmood, nephew Bilal, relative Tauseef.

Around 10 men and six women were nominated in the FIR.  The police arrested two accused while the remaining ones were at large.

Meanwhile, the villagers said that the marriage ceremony of Shafi’s daughter was in progress when Head Constable Shahbaz along with a constable reached there and asked Shafi to produce his nephew Bilal or else he would be taken to the police station.

According to the villagers, Shafi asked policemen to arrest the accused instead of harassing him, but they got angry.

A police party headed by ASI Nawaz Khan reached there and reportedly beat Shafi and resorted to aerial firing, which panicked the guests.

An eyewitness said that some villagers and the guests attacked the police with sticks and clubs, forcing the cops to leaving behind their vehicle, which was set ablaze by the angry mob.